Poland swears in opposition-backed Andrzej Duda as president

Andrzej Duda, a conservative lawyer backed by Poland’s main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) was sworn in on Thursday as the country’s sixth president since its transition to communism in 1989. In May, Duda won a surprise victory in the presidential ballot, defeating Bronislaw Komorowski, who was seeking reelection as the candidate of the ruling Civic Platform (PO) party. Duda’s election pledges included cutting the retirement age, raising the tax-free income threshold and paying child benefits. In Poland, it is the prime minister who has the most powers, but the president wields clout as head of the armed forces, has a say in foreign policy and the power to propose and veto legislation.